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| Montreal restaurants | ||
| Our favorite restaurants are marked with a star (*) | ||
*Brunoise
3-course dinner: $30-40 (Canadian)
3807 St. Andre / Montreal, QC / 514-523-3885 Review date: June 2004 |
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Brunoise belongs to the rare category of restaurants that shines from
amuse-bouche to dessert. An appetizer of eggplant and tomato confit
tart had a buttery, crispy, and flaky crust. The tomatoes and eggplant
had the ripeness that is only possible in the summer. Sweetbreads with
veal cheeks, morels, shitake, and herb polenta was a dish to die for.
The sweetbreads were crispy on the outside and buttery inside. The veal
cheeks were so soft I could eat them with a spoon. The mushrooms were
earthy and delicious, and seeing 10 morels on my plate was a real treat.
All this was served in an intense veal reduction and a foamy sauce.
Jason had a perfectly cooked medium-rare beef fillet with snails,
olives, confit of tomatoes, sautéed spinach, and gnocchi. The sauce
was a reduction similar to my dish, but more meaty. This was one of
the best beef tenderloin dishes we've ever had.
--Read the full story-- |
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*Jardin Nelson
Lunch entrees: $10-12 (Canadian)
407 Place Jacques Cartier / Montreal, Canada / 514-861-5731 Review Date: September 2001 |
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What a lovely place! We had lunch here with friends during our visit to Montreal. Jardin Nelson serves a wide variety of crepes, pizzas, salads, sandwiches, soups, and pastas. We had 3 different types of crepes. All were wonderful, but the seafood crepe won our top prize. The pasta salad with basil, mango, avocado and sun dried tomatoes sounded like a strange combination, but it tasted great! On top of wonderful food, you'll enjoy great service, a courtyard shaded by trees and live jazz or classical music. We unanimously voted Jardin Nelson to be the most lovely setting for lunch in Montreal. | |
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*Toqué!
Appetizers: $12-20
Entrees: $30-40
5 course tasting menu: $74
All prices are in Canadian dollars 3842 St Denis St / Montreal, Canada / (514) 499-2084 Review Date: July 2002 |
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We had a magnificent meal at Toqué on a trip to Montreal. We left all
the decisions up to the chef and ordered the blind 5 course tasting menu.
It turned out to be 6 courses due to a delicious amuse-bouche of clams
in sorrel sauce. The best aspect of Normand Laprise's food is that
in spite of its complexity, we could taste every component of a dish.
The flavors and textures were beautifully balanced and every ingredient
was there for a reason. We enjoyed a wide array of dishes including
scallops with lime mousse, seared tuna with smoky bacon, venison with
fiddleheads, guinea fowl with wild mushroom ravioli, local cheeses,
strawberries, and chocolate ginger crème brûlée. Besides the wonderful
food, Toqué took great pride in their wines. We chose the "Discovery"
blind wine menu and were served 3 glasses of wine with our meal that
matched the dishes beautifully. We had to wonder whether the wines were
found to match the dishes, or the dishes were created to show off the
wines. Extremely hospitable and friendly service and relaxing
atmosphere rounded off this perfect dining experience. --Read the full story-- | |
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L'Express
Appetizers: $5-10 (Canadian)
Entrees: $14-22 (CA)
3927 Saint-Denis / Montreal, Canada / 514-845-5333 Difficult to spot because the only sign is in the sidewalk Review Date: July 2002 |
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Going to this extremely popular Parisian style bistro is a gamble. The menu is huge, plus there are 4-5 specials each day. Some dishes are just wonderful -- we had a superb roast lamb and wonderful duck breast here. Others are so-so -- the trout served over steamed vegetables was not very interesting, and the goose breast with sauerkraut was tough. The wine list is extensive and reasonably priced; the staff is knowledgeable and can give good recommendations. The decor is typical Parisian bistro. This means bright, casual atmosphere where people go after work (not the romantic, small restaurant we think of, when we say "Bistro" in US). Reservations are a must. | |
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*Poisson Rouge
4 course dinner: around $33 (Canadian) / BYOB
1201 Rachel St E / Montreal, QC / (514) 522-4876 Review Date: July 2003 |
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This tiny BYOB sits unobtrusively on a busy street corner. The decor is nothing to write home about, but the place is cozy and comfortable. The food, mostly fish and seafood as the name suggests, makes a strong statement. It's interesting, creative, and delicious, but simple enough to be comforting. I started my meal with a pâté of foie gras with dried cranberries. It was smooth, creamy and delicious, but could benefit from a sweet accompaniment (maybe an onion compote). Jason's appetizer of mussels with fennel and cream was outstanding. The mussels were tender and delicious and the sauce was fantastic - rich and creamy laced with caramelized fennel and a touch of star anis. I am not an anis person, but even I loved this dish. We couldn't leave any of the delicious sauce and mopped it all up with superb crusty baguette. The fish soup was yummy and unusual. It was based on a rich tomato and fish broth and full of aromatic herbs. The accompanying toast with rouille (spicy Provençal mayo) was fantastic. We both got fish for main course. Jason was enjoying a perfectly seared blackened tuna. The texture was succulent and silky smooth, but it was a bit too spicy for me. I had a marlin and arctic char with a funky pink curry sauce. Marlin was a tad dry, but char was moist with a wonderfully crisp skin. The side of rice and veggies seamed to be served with every entrée and was nothing special. One of the deserts was the highlight of the meal. It was a cake made of crepes layered with praline cream and lightly drizzled with dark chocolate. Wow, so simple but so yummy. The orange chocolate mouse was just ordinary, and not really worth its calories. In spite of slight inconsistency in the food, the overall experience was wonderful especially considering the reasonable price. | |
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Christophe
4-course dinner: $45-60 (Canadian) / BYOB
1187 Van Horne Avenue, Montreal QC / (514) 270-0850 Review Date: June 2004 |
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Most of my Montreal BYOB experiences have been on the inexpensive side
(e.g. C$35 for a three-course meal). I went to Christophe with the
hope that by paying more, I'd get better food. While the dishes used
more expensive ingredients (e.g. foie gras, lobster, truffle oil), the
quality (in terms of taste, texture, freshness, etc.) wasn't any
better than other BYOBs I've tried. Overall, a disappointment.
The dishes (including what my husband ordered): Bread basket: nothing interesting; also dry, not freshly sliced :( Fish soup w/ cabbage: poorly seasoned, didn't taste good :((( Salad of marinated salmon, scallops and avocado: delicious :) Foie gras “crème brûlée”: rich and creamy with a caramelized sugar crust; decadent, but would have been better w/ more foie gras and less cream :) Lobster ravioli w/ lobster sauce and spinach: sad; filling tasted processed; pasta dough was mushy (wonton wrappers?); sauce lacked clarity of flavor; spinach did not taste fresh :((( Chocolate cake (liquid center): outrageously good :))) |
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Anise 6-course dinner: $65 (Canadian) / $110 with wine 9-course dinner: $90 (Canadian) / $140 with wine 104, Laurier Ouest, Montreal, QC / 514 276-6999 Review Date: June 2004 |
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Anise did not live up to my expectations. Maybe they were too high,
but my expectations tend to increase with the size of the bill. We
ordered the six course tasting menu with three matching wines. The food had
its ups and downs. Some dishes were very good; others had serious
flaws. None of them made my mouth water. The food seemed to
emphasize presentation over taste. At C$65/person, it was worth trying, but I won't be back. The matched wines weren't worth trying. They were
dull and did nothing for the "matched" dishes. Although
balanced, the wines were not complex and did not exhibit flavors or
textures that enhanced the food. The C$45/person price
tag seemed stiff, to say the least. For a total bill well over
C$100/person, I expected more and was sorely disappointed,
especially after having eaten at Brunoise the night before. --Read the full story-- |
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*Au Pied de Cochon
Appetizers: $6-8
Entrées: $18-26
536 Rue Duluth Est / Montreal, QC / 514-281-1114 Review Date: July 2003 |
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Comfort food at its finest. This place is for seafood lovers and carnivores. We started our meal with fried zucchini flowers and tomato tart. The flowers were deliciously light and crunchy. The only slight flaw was that they were not seasoned evenly. The tomato tart was just perfect. The pastry was flaky and buttery, the tomatoes ripe and sweet. Some cheese and herbs rounded of this wonderful dish. We couldn't decide on entrées, so we asked out waiter for recommendation. We were glad we asked because both dishes were outstanding. My lamb shank with lentils was served in a very rich meaty sauce and then drizzled with another white creamy sauce. The meat just fell of the bone and melted in the mouth - simply decadent. A Portuguese red that our waiter recommended was heavy bodied and tannic and complimented the lamb perfectly. Jason got a whole cod roasted in their wood-burning oven. It was a wonderful unadorned fish - juicy and pure in flavor, simply garnished with a vegetable medley, fresh ripe juicy tomatoes and excellent olive oil. Bonny Dune Riesling was a lovely accompaniment to this simple tasty fish. The portions were so generous that we were too full after our entrées, but couldn't resist dessert. This was a mistake, since desserts turned out to be mediocre. I ordered their pudding chômeur that I heard so much about and Jason ordered cheesecake. Our waiter described pudding chômeur as bread pudding baked with maple syrop. Instead of a traditional bread pudding it tasted more like pancake batter baked in a bowl with butter and maple syrop. It was very rich and sweet, but heavy and not particularly interesting. The cheesecake was a plain old cheesecake - crumb crust, creamy filling, and fruit on top - good, but not interesting. We might skip deserts next time, but we would definitely like to come back for the food. Since Le Pied de Cochon has an open kitchen, we saw them plating duck breast with wild mushrooms that looked stunning, and that's worth a second trip. | |
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Chez L'Epicier
Appetizers: $7-9
Entrées: $19-34
311 Saint Paul E / Montreal, QC / (514) 878-2232 Review Date: July 2003 |
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Everything about Chez L'Epicier is chic - from modern décor to creative, sometimes unnecessarily complex, but always delicious food. This is one of the few good restaurants in Old Montreal, and it's popularity shows. The place was packed on a Thursday night. We had an 8:30 reservation and had to wait for half an hour at the bar. This would be reasonable if we had just walked in, but considering the fact that we made a reservation a month in advance and called that day to confirm, we did not appreciate the wait. When we were finally seated, our waitress was very efficient and attentive, if only she smiled once in a while. The food was very creative and wonderfully presented. There were occasional over and under seasoning flaws, but overall everything was delicious. The appetizer of parsnip puree soup with caramelized orange peel was outstanding. It was an epitome of Chez L'Epicier philosophy - creative modern take on classic French dishes. When done right, the flavors just sing. The snail "Shepard pie" was a very nice dish, but suffered slightly from lack of salt. It was a cool looking vertical creation of pastry topped with snails, topped with mashed celery root, and then parsley puree. The whole thing sat in a pool of parsley and lobster oil. Jason's entrée of beef tenderloin was perfectly medium rare, tender and juicy, though it could use a bit of salt to intensify its flavor. It came with a wonderful carrot galette (like a big carrot latke) and a pot of stewed potatoes. The carrot galette was crispy and bursting with flavor - great way to serve a carrot side dish. My entrée of seared striped bass was served with a rice cake, clams, and a light herb sauce. Under its crisp skin, the bass was very juicy and tender; again, some seasoning wouldn't hurt. The rice cake on the other hand was too salty. Together, they balanced each other out, but more even seasoning would make an improvement. For dessert we shared white chocolate tortellini with salted pistachios, rosemary sorbet and creme anglaise (the dish really came with goat milk, but since that's one of the few things I don't eat, they substituted crèe anglaise). The rosemary sorbert was the best part of this dessert. The tortellini were undercooked and too tough. Dessert pasta was an interesting idea, but the execution was not very successful. In spite of the few hitches here and there, food was interesting and delicious. I don't think we would return just because there are many great places in Montreal with excellent cuisine, cheaper prices, and no wait. | |
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*Patisserie de Gascogne
Sandwiches and entrees: $6-9 (Canadian)
2 locations: 4825 Sherbrooke St W / Montreal, Canada / (514) 932-3511 237 Laurier / Montreal, Canada Review Date: July 2002 |
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As I walked into Patisserie de Gascogne, I was greeted with an enormous
parade or pastries and desserts, all beautifully lined up behind the glass.
I was so mesmerized by this display that I stood there for a minute just
enjoying their delicious beauty. The air was filled with the smell of
freshly baked breads and croissants and made me very hungry, but it was
so hard to choose what to get. I decided to take the tour of the whole
shop and explore my options. The prepared food section looked
wonderful. There were salmon fillets in creamy sauce, vegetable lasagna,
wonderful salads, various quiches, and tarts. I made my way to the
sandwich section determined to make the decision of what to have for lunch.
The sandwich list had specialty sandwiches like Provencal Fougasse
(flat bread with olives filled with cheese and vegetables), and various
panini. Since I have a soft spot for panini, I decided to get panini
with chicken. Faced with such numerous and gorgeous looking dishes, my
decision ability left me and I just got the simplest thing. They did not
list on the board what panini sandwiches came with, but I was hoping that
there would be more than just chicken in my sandwich. Jason got a ham
and cheese panini.
We got our drinks and went to sit on a shady street side terrace. To my surprise and delight, my order got mixed up and the waiter brought me proscuitto panini instead of chicken. I was excited to see a lovely basil pesto on the bread. I took the first bite and it was heavenly - crispy, creamy, salty, and sweet! The crisp came from the perfectly grilled bread, the creaminess from the melted fresh mozzarella, the saltiness from the proscuitto, but what was sweet? I opened up my bread and saw fresh figs thinly sliced. After savoring the last bites of our lunch we could not leave without a pastry. I was too daunted to go in and make this important decision, so I sent Jason to get us the dessert of his choice. He came back with a chocolate croissant that was just perfect. Next time we were at Patisserie de Gascogne I was more prepared and did not completely loose my wit when faced with all this wonderful food. I tried the vegetable lasagna. The pasta was lined with roasted eggplants, zucchinis, tomatoes, mushrooms, herbs and cheese. No usual red sauce. It was great. This time we got real desserts. I had a pecan tart and Jason had a "chocolate pyramid" -- a triangular cake with very thin moist layers lined with ganache. Mmmm!!! |
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A la Decouverte
4 course dinner: around $35 (Canadian) / BYOB
4350 De la Roche & Marianne / Montreal, Canada / 514-529-8377 Review Date: September 2001 |
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There are some things that make A la Decouverte a great place to dine: duck liver mousse appetizer, one of the best salad dressing, BYOB (bring your own wine with no corkage fee), and wonderful service and hospitality. It's a very small and simply decorated place, but it leaves you with a warm and cozy feeling. | |
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Les Heritiers
4 course dinner: around $35 (Canadian) / BYOB
5091 de Lanaudiére (on the corner of Laurier) / Montreal, Canada / 514-528-4953 Review Date: September 2001 |
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We went to this place because we heard they had a great duck a l'orange. Ironically, absolutely everything else we had was good except for the duck. Feuilleté d'escargots au brie et aux pleurotes (puff pastry with snails, brie and wild mushrooms) was out of this world. The smoked salmon appetizer was great too. For the main course we had Ris de Veau and Duck. We did not know what Ris de Veau was, so we asked our waitress. She told us it was sweetbreads. We did not know what sweetbreads were either, but decided to try it anyway. It was wonderfully tender and flavorful and came with delicious potatoes in cream sauce. I am glad we found out what sweetbreads are later and not when we were ordering because we might not have risked it. The duck was flavored nicely, but was very tough. On another occasion, we had a nice roast garlic rack of lamb. The only trouble with the entrees is that the side dishes are treated as an afterthought and are not carefully prepared. For dessert, we had a yummy silky and crunchy chocolate creation and a lovely cheesecake. Another good reason to go to Les Heritiers is their BYOB policy (bring your own bottle with no corkage fee). | |
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Schwartz's
Lunch: $6-8 (Canadian)
3895 blvd. St-Laurent, Montreal, QC / 514-842-4813 Review Date: June 2004 |
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I never thought fat could taste so good! The smoked meat is to die for (literally – unless you consume it in moderation ;) It's not at all like pastrami or corn beef. It's the most tender, almost falling apart beef brisket covered in lip smacking, finger licking spices, served warm. Don't get lean – it's dry. Medium is perfect. Schwartz's is always packed, so come early or expect to wait. | |
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Olive et Gourmando
Lunch: $7-9 (Canadian)
351 Saint-Paul O., Montreal, QC / 514-350-1083 Review Date: June 2004 |
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Great sandwiches, baked goodies, cheeses and sausages. Perfect place to pick up a picnic before renting bikes in old Montreal, or relax with a glass of wine and some snacks. | |
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Les Fromentier
1375 Laurier east, Montreal, QC / (514) 527-3327 Review Date: June 2004 |
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Great bakery, cheese monger, and deli. All breads and the chicken liver pâté are excellent. | |
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St-Viateur Bagels
263 St-Viateur west near du Parc ave / (514) 276-8044 Review Date: June 2004 |
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Sweet, yeasty, and most delicious bagels we've ever had. There is no place to sit, but you can pick up a jar of their wonderful spreads, some bagels, and go for a picnic in a nearby park. We tried the white fish spread and really liked it. | |
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